News for Tuesday, September 2, 2003

Stories

Routt County commissioners lifted fire restrictions on state and private land Tuesday and are expected to lift restrictions on most federal lands today. Despite the easing of restrictions, officials warned fire danger is still present.

Michelle Wilkie named Wal-Mart teacher of the year

Michelle Wilkie, a self-described talker, rarely has been at a loss for words. But Wilkie, Hayden Elemen-tary School's music teacher, found herself speechless on the last day of school last May when she was called to the stage to accept a $1,000 check for being named a Wal-Mart teacher of the year.

If parents think their children have not or will not use drugs or alcohol, they are fooling themselves, Hayden High School Principal Nick Schafer told a group of parents and students Tuesday. The message came during a forum held to discuss the school's newly adopted random drug testing policy -- a forum at which the policy came under fire from some parents.

When Lewis and Clark journeyed west across North America, they encountered a chicken-like bird that was black, white and brown and ruled sagebrush areas. The explorers named it the "cock of the plains."

Little is as precious to this state's economic vitality as the preservation of its water resources, and years of drought have reinforced the importance of water storage capacity to that preservation. That said, the initiative proposed in Referendum A seems to be an unnecessary way to go about securing additional capacity.